Endless "Yeok" and a Shilly Prison Night

"History." I chewed on the bread Lilliana had left behind, seriously pondering my current situation. It wasn't too stale, so I managed to cram it down somehow.

First things first, my body's condition.

A warning message kept flickering rapidly in front of my eyes, turning on and off without end. It felt just like those sketchy games I'd downloaded from shady blogs as a kid.

'No matter how many times I closed the ads, they wouldn't go away, and I'd end up clutching my computer and wailing.'

I wanted to chug an HP potion, but my torso was jammed against the bars so awkwardly I couldn't even drink it.

'What is this, some fox and crane bullshit?'

I considered filling up my HP with Equivalent Exchange, but all that popped up was:

Well, HP was low, but not critically so. How often does HP even drop in a prison cell? My life force and lifespan were plenty for now, so they weren't urgent issues.

"History."

And then the quests and ending conditions.

It was stuck in this state.

'Ending condition is ending condition—what's this additional ending condition crap?'

Well, I had a rough idea, so no big deal. Raise a specific character's affection to 200 and unlock a new ending, that sort of thing.

Honestly, the real problem was bigger than that.

Lilliana had awakened as a saintess.

If things followed the story flow, she'd end up joining the hero party like this. My top priority was making sure Lili safely finished her academy life. If she went off on a hero party expedition, I'd spend all day worrying myself sick, barely sleeping from anxiety.

'What the hell am I supposed to do about this...'

On top of that, there were a ton of major events coming up that needed resolving soon. The quests would probably unlock around then.

But solving all this alone had its limits. It'd be great to have a reliable ally.

'An ally, huh...'

"Milady, art thou listening?"

"Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought for a sec. What'd you say?"

"History, I said."

"Hmm... Then I'll go with power."

With the bars between us, Leoness and I were in the middle of a heated shiritori game, betting slices of bread.

"Why dost thou keep returning to yeok? No matter what I say, it loops back—'tis most peculiar."

"If you don't answer in ten seconds, I eat it all. Ten... nine..."

"W-wait a moment! Role... reversal... Hmm... Yeok, yeok, yeok, yeok..."

"Eight... seven..."

"Ah, that's it! Yeokseong—I'll go with yeokseong!"

Hoo. I thought she'd crack, but she pulled through. High intelligence meant she knew a ton of words. Yeokseong—changing dynasties, a very princess-like choice.

"Power."

"...Hoo. I surrender."

She kept getting hit with yeok, and eventually Leoness called for a retreat.

"This shiritori game thou taught me—'tis far less amusing than expected."

Even declaring it no fun—she seemed seriously pissed.

"That's just 'cause Your Highness sucks at it."

"Ha! I've never lost a battle of wits since birth. Thy petty taunts shan't provoke me."

"Then I get all the bread?"

"I shall sleep now—do as thou wilt."

Had I been too casual? She got sulky fast.

Leoness rustled around a few times, then went quiet. The cell was so dark I couldn't see what she was doing on the other side.

I was gonna spitefully eat all the bread, but conscience won out—I left enough for her. We're cellmates, after all; better to get along.

I swallowed a chunk I'd torn off, then flopped down. The moment my back hit the cold ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stone floor, a bone-chilling cold surged up through me.

"Ugh, so cold."

All that was on the floor was a bit of damp, stinky straw. And it was so prickly it poked right through my ball gown into my skin. Basically a bed of nails.

The straw was too pokey to lie on, so I gathered it into a pillow substitute. I tore a strip from my dress skirt and draped it over. This should be good enough for some shut-eye.

"Yaaawn..."

So much had happened today; sleepiness hit hard. In the pitch-black darkness with no sight, my other senses sharpened. The underground damp mold smell at my nose. Mixed with scents from countless prisoners who'd passed through, every breath felt thick in my lungs.

Suddenly, Leoness seemed amazing for staying sane here. Or maybe she was already half-mad.

"Night, Leoness."

"..."

No reply.

I opened my eyes. No "waking up in the original world" or "back to enrollment day" trope—just woke up because the bed sucked.

Sensing I'd woken, the status window auto-flashed.

Just slept and woke up, and my stamina had dropped. This is the misery of prison life, huh.

The bone-piercing chill seeped through my single dress. If I stayed put, I'd either freeze to death ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or hit 0 HP and croak.

This was all because I was locked up for crimes I didn't commit. So damn unfair—tears welled up.

Drip, trickle, drip.

"Ack, cold!"

To top it off, I'd picked a bad spot to sleep—water kept dripping on my forehead.

"Why's water dripping underground?"

No sleeping against the wall.

"Screw it. Gotta move to warm up."

Crack, pop.

"Ow..."

My shoulders screamed the second I rolled them. Elise's body was way more out of shape than I'd thought. Plus, this heavy, cumbersome dress made stretching a pain.

'Why the fuck is this corset tied so goddamn tight?'

Every breath squeezed my ribs. I struggled to loosen the back laces even a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bit.

"Hng...!"

Couldn't reach well, so I twisted awkwardly.

"Hah... hah..."

Just fixing my clothes a little, and I was gasping. With stamina this low, any effort made me dizzy.

"Fucking cursed stamina."

Grousing, I bent to massage my knotted calves. Legs were swollen from heels all day.

Squeeze. Squeeze.

"Ugh... nnngh..."

It hurt. More than expected. I groaned involuntarily. Poor circulation meant sharp pain with every press.

But this was the only way to raise my body temp and loosen up.

I kneaded my limbs furiously, marched in place, battling the cold.

"Hoo... better now."

After fussing a while, warmth finally spread.

That's when it happened.

"...Thy spirit is most restless."

A low, icy voice cut through the darkness.

"Eek?!"

I jolted back in shock—and thunk, bashed my head on the wall behind.

"Ow ow..."

From across, I felt Leoness's irritated glare.

"Why makest thou such a racket in the dead of night? I cannot sleep a wink."

"Whoa, Your Highness is still up?"

"When 'tis disadvantageous to thee, polite speech emerges unbidden. How could I sleep with thee groaning alone beside me?"

Ah. Warming up had been too noisy.

"Sorry, it was so cold... just trying to warm up..."

"Tsk tsk. A noble lady panting like that without decorum—unseemly."

"It's pitch black anyway—you can't see!"

"I said the sounds carry. Most suggestive noises, stirring indecent imaginings."

"S-suggestive?!"

Leoness snorted.

"Excuses suffice. Thanks to thee, my sleep hath fled."

"Sorry. I'll be quiet."

I slumped back against the wall. Damn. Cold and miserable.

That's when—

"Reveille! Up! Visitation!"

The corridor gate clanged open; lantern light flooded the cell mercilessly. I squinted, shielding my eyes, as the guard grumbled.

"Elise de Bellaph. Visitor for thee."

"Huh? At this hour?"

No idea the time, but probably before dawn.

"A high noble's come—quit yapping."

High noble. Who? Crown Prince unlikely to trek here; Lilliana wouldn't be called that.

'Fuck, who is it?'

No clue on Elise's relationships.

From the corridor shadows, a knight in uniform strode forward. The crest gleamed in the light.

Imperial Guard—only one fits.

"...Esilla?"

The red-haired knight, Esilla de Argent, looked down at me like I was a bug.